Killing time

That's right, I'm sitting in what-if boy's apartment, waiting for my good friend A to arrive and rescue me from my boredom. It's actually been a really nice, quiet, mellow morning. Lots of Internet time, a little Dracula reading. The wedding I'm on the west coast for is tomorrow night, so there's plenty of time to hang out and catch up with A and what-if boy. (And yes, he's totally still hot! *drool*)
What have I been reading lately, you ask? Well, the obvious answer first: I'm mid-Dracula. I've read it before, years ago, and am really enjoying reading it again. I'm just a sucker for a good vampire story and, well, it doesn't get any better than Dracula! Also . . . let's see. The Year's Best Fantasy and Science Fiction for Teens. Good collection, including two of my favorite writers, Garth Nix and Kelly Link. (Notice I didn't say favorite teen writers. That's because truly great writing transcends age labels.) I'm honestly struggling to think of the last book I finished before that; lately there's been a run of starting books, being unthrilled with them, and setting them aside. It always makes me a little sad when a book isn't nearly as good as it could be. . . .
I'm waiting impatiently for season two of Shadow Unit to start. If you're not familiar, check it out! I know the premise sounds a little strange, but really, read one episode. You'll be hooked. Well, if that's your kind of thing you will be. I loved it desperately after a few paragraphs, and have been recently haunting the message boards, waiting for a sign that season two is coming.
I'm nearly done editing my novel, hallelujah! I only have the climax and the ending to go through, and while I know I'll be adding some material, I'm not really changing anything, only drawing things out a little more, so it won't be terribly difficult. So the question that keeps haunting me is, of course, what should I write next? I'm not really to that point yet; first there will be another go-round on the editing of this novel. But I can't help thinking about it. And I've got a few ideas, as well. So, give me some input. Should I write:
1) a young adult novel about a girl who finds herself beholden to the Rat King?
2) an urban fantasy novel very loosely based on my experiences as a witch?
3) work on some short stories (eventually I'd like to do a collection of stories based on my dreams, since they tend to be very vivid and storyline based)?
4) one of the novels I started in high school/college? (I'm about sixty pages in on each, one is an urban fantasy about a woman who has to rescue her brother from the fey folk, the other is a fantasy about a thief who fulfills an ancient prophecy.) (I never said they were brlliant.)
Or 5) an urban fantasy-ish novel based on some poems I wrote in college abotu a character called Twilight Child?
Clearly my problem is not ideas, it's the time to write them all in!
One more thing before I go. I just discovered a new band, thanks to a friend of a friend's blog. Check out these guys: Natalie Portman's Shaved Head
And now, time to jet. Have a good weekend!

I'm trying

I know, it's been a good two weeks since my last post. I keep meaning to write and it just keeps not happening. 'Tis the season though. The holiday madness. Things at work have been quite busy and interesting, but there will be more on that in a couple weeks, so stay tuned!
I'm trying to finish my exploratory draft this month. I do have some sort of idea regarding what's going to happen now, so it's push time. If I manage it, this one will have taken nine months, as compared to the year it took me to write the first draft of my first novel. And yes, I know, I need to hurry up and submit that first one. There's just one problem with that. I've been working on a synopsis, as that's a required part of a submission for many, many publishing houses and agents. My synopsis has been through a couple major edits, and I'm still not happy with it. It's boring. I don't know how to fix it. Maybe I should just throw it out and start over again. Hmm. We'll see.
So I fly home for the holidays on Christmas Eve. I'm really excited to be on the West Coast for almost two weeks! Here's my plan: read a lot, write a lot, spend time with my family and my godchildren (and a couple close friends), and maybe spend some time playing a cheesy old computer game. Maybe King's Quest IV. I did always love that one, with all the fairy tale and mythology elements . . .
Anyway. I should get moving, as I'm at work. I'll try to be here more often, but I always say that, and we all know how it actually goes! Change is blowing in on the winter winds. Keep a weather eye out!